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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rock — music
  9. pop — music
  10. face — part of the head
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pop — soda
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rock — a stone
  17. face — to confront
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — humankind
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pit — in a race
  23. face — to point toward
  24. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com